| For success in chicken rearing, you should know all the | | | | best way to know that there is an infection. However, |
| common chicken diseases. With all diseases affecting | | | | there is medication that can cure Mycoplasma. |
| chickens, prevention is better than cure because you | | | | Another of the common chicken diseases is Botulism. |
| save money and you do not lose as many chickens. | | | | This is caused by the toxins released by bacteria |
| One of these is Coccidiosis that affects young chicken | | | | called Clostridium botulinum. Botulism occurs under hot |
| and is very infectious. Chicken usually get this disease | | | | and humid conditions and so you can reduce the risk |
| under warm and moist conditions and so one way of | | | | of your birds getting the disease by keeping the coop |
| preventing this is to keep the chicken coop dry, | | | | clean and dry, removing decaying animals and plants |
| especially when it is hot, and by keeping the coop well | | | | from the coop and getting rid of droppings regularly. |
| ventilated. | | | | Botulism works by weakening the chicken and then |
| Chicken that get Coccidiosis should be separated from | | | | paralyzing it. However, it is treatable using Epson salt, |
| the healthy ones and killed because the infection | | | | but prevention is better because chicken die very fast |
| spreads through their droppings. The most effective | | | | from the disease. |
| way to know if your flock has Coccidiosis is to check | | | | Caged layer fatigue is another common chicken |
| the droppings - droppings from sick chickens have | | | | disease and it attacks layers only. The disease occurs |
| blood on them. | | | | when the chickens do not have some vital minerals in |
| Scaly leg is another common disease affecting | | | | their bodies, especially calcium which is the major |
| chickens. The disease is caused by a parasite that | | | | component of the eggshells. The hens just sitting |
| gets under the scales of the chickens' feet. This leads | | | | around without exercising due to tiredness and |
| to the scales getting rougher than normal and this is | | | | weakness characterize caged layer fatigue and it |
| one way of determining if your chickens have scaly | | | | often leads to breakage of bones. The disease can be |
| leg. Although chickens do not die as a direct result of | | | | prevented and cured by giving the hens mineral |
| the disease, however it makes it harder for them to | | | | supplements containing calcium. |
| move. However, the disease is treatable with a cream | | | | Another of the common chicken diseases is |
| that you can buy from a pet store or from online | | | | Newcastle disease, which is caused by a virus that |
| sources. | | | | attacks the nervous and the respiratory systems of |
| Mycoplasma infection is a disease caused by small | | | | the chicken. Newcastle's is highly contagious and |
| organism and it makes the chicken sneeze and cough, | | | | chickens often die after contracting it. This is one of |
| just like a person who has influenza. Mycoplasma | | | | the most common diseases affecting chicken and |
| infection is a disease of the respiratory system and so | | | | since there is no cure, everybody who rears chicken |
| a bad odor will come from the chicken - this is the | | | | should vaccinate them against the disease. |